Come on.. we’ve all done it! You just want to run and jump in the big black hole behind you. Its made worse by the heckles from your playing companions… “that’s one”!

However embarrassing it is not actually against the rules and no additional shot is added or penalty shot incurred.

A ball blown off by the wind or accidentally knocked off during set up can be replaced without penalty. The only time a penalty shot is recorded is if you have started your downswing and cannot stop, hitting the ball or missing it completely.

The Gateway Golf App is here to help you play better golf with world leading tuition. Easy to follow and can be used time and time again whenever you need that assistance. Also take comfort in having a registered PGA pro on hand for advice and consultation, whether on the course or at the driving range.

How many times have you been playing golf and had a heated conversation about the rules regarding a hazard? Its time to know the various definitions…

Ground Under Repair (GUR). Usually marked by a ‘GUR’ sign. You can remove your ball and place at the nearest point of relief without penalty.

Casual Water. This is surface water clearly where your ball lies or within your stances. You can move the ball to the nearest point of relief without penalty. Establish nearest point of relief and drop the ball within one club length. If in a bunker you can incur a one shot penalty by removing the ball from the bunker or take relief without penalty by finding a suitable place in bunker which avoids the casual water.

Water Hazard (yellow stakes). If the ball is still playable as perhaps in a dry ditch you can play it without penalty but can not ground the club. If ‘in the drink’ you can drop the ball in line with the last point of access and the hole and incur a one shot penalty.

Water Hazard (red stakes). Red stakes indicates a lateral hazard which runs in the direction of the hole. You may play the ball but again without grounding the club. If you deem unplayable, you must agree point of entry and drop the ball no more than two club lengths away. A one shot penalty is incurred.

Ground staff cuttings and clippings. Drop within one club length and do so without penalty.

Learn the rules with The Gateway Golf Blog. Learn the way to be a better golfer with The Gateway Golf #1 Tuition App, available to download from apple and android stores now!

Probably the greatest amateur to ever play our wonderful game, Bobby Jones, once famously said: “Golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course… the space between your ears.”

Compared with all other sports Golf has got to be right up there as one of the most challenging mentally. That’s why most, if not all, the top players on the European and US tours employ the services of a sports psychologist to assist them with their mental preparation and conduct on the course in the middle of a round. Us amateurs can use some of the simple mental strategies to keep our golf game in check and push us close to our best golf, they are:

Stay in the present. Don’t be put off by counting scorecards or thinking of what your going to do on each hole after the one you are about to play. If you focus fully on the job in hand you will see that you play better golf and your scores tumble.

Every shot is a new opportunity. You only objective in golf is to put the little whit ball in the whole in as fewer shots as possible. Assess the shot you have in front of you and review the risk and reward of taking on the dream one in a thousand shot or play the safe score reducing steady eddie shot.

The past is the past. Golf is a game fully of ups and downs and each shot played has now been given over to history where it should stay. You cant change anything and whether it was the best shot you’ve ever done or the worse score ever played it will not help the next shot you have to play. Leave it there, clear the mind and move on.

Never give up. However difficult or poorly you are playing never ever give up. Always play the next shot as well as you can.

Fundamentally there are some important questions that need to be answered when choosing the right golf bag. Golf comes with a enormous amount of extra equipment, most you will need on the rare occasion, others you will need every single time you play and having the correct bag to house all this stuff is makes life and your round of golf a lot easier!

You need to prioritise what you will take out on the course with you and the decision of bag and/or trolley will come naturally. The contents of a bag usually includes:

Do what the professional’s do and use the bag as an assistant to your round of golf. Make sure you have everything you need and use the appropriate bag and/or trolley to ensure that carrying or pulling will not hinder your round of golf through fatigue and tiredness.

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Golf fitness is made up of aerobic endurance, nutrition, muscular strength and flexibility.

Aerobic Endurance is your ability to continue for long periods of physical activity. Its what most would say is your ‘fitness’ level. If you are out of breathe climbing the stairs then you are probably not as fit as you should be. However if you running around and not braking sweat you are likely to be in good shape and more than capable of enduring a competitive round of golf.

Nutrition is all about what you eat, how much you eat and when you eat it. Most would say golf is just a leisurely walk round a field but that they would be wrong. A competitive round of golf can use vital levels of energy you have gained from the food intake. It is important to keep yourself well hydrated and keep topping up you fuel source whilst playing. Although a fairly excused subject in the world of golf, nutrition is a key component when trying to be the best golfer you can.

Muscular strength is all about power. You only have to see how far Rory Mcllroy hits the ball to know how spending hours in the gym pumping iron (excuse the pun) can benefit your golf game. Want to hit those 300+ yard drivers? Hit the gym and engage a Personal Trainer to really focus on key areas of the golf swing.

Flexibility can be incorporated into the gym sessions lifting thse weights. A flexible, freely moving body can only help the golf swing. The swing uses most parts of the body so its vitally important to keep yourself in shape and feeling good!

Once you’ve got yourself in tip top shape you need to keep improving your game. One way to do that is using the #1 Golf Tuition App, Gateway Golf.

Most golfers have a natural tendency to try and help the ball into the air by holding back through impact and attempting to lift the ball. A golf club, in particular an iron, is designed with loft to do all the work required to get the ball up and on a good flight path.

As you feel more comfortable with using the club to lift the ball, move your weight towards the target on the downswing. This will drive the club through the ball and should, if executed correctly, leave a nice, healthy divot behind after impact.

A divot will be a good feedback indicator that you have set the ball in the right position in your stances and found a greater angle of attack than usual. By committing to the shot with positive imagery and excellent execution you should leave a divot.

Always remember to repair your divots by using a divot tool, which you can buy from any golf course or golf equipment supplier.

Check out Gateway Golf, #1 Golf Tuition App to learn how to make those committed, divot creating shots time after time.